


Coming Home

by spartanroses (babybrotherdean)



Category: God of War (Video Games)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 10:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15337797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babybrotherdean/pseuds/spartanroses
Summary: Finally, a hint of movement at the edge of the tree line. Tall. Broad. Familiar.“Father!”





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> A soft thing. I wanted to write tiny Atreus who was always really excited when his dad came home from an outing. ;-;

With the sun beginning to dip down below the tree line, painting the sky in streaks of red and gold, Atreus knows that it’s almost time to crawl into bed. Mother likes to have him asleep before the biting cold of the night sets in, curled up warm under layers of fur with a fire warming their little house. It’s safer that way, she tells him, and if he stays cozy, he’ll stay healthy. Mother doesn’t like it when he’s sick. Atreus doesn’t like it, either, and it’s one of the things that encourages him to do as he’s told and get to bed nice and early.

Tonight’s a little different, though. Tonight is the night when Father is supposed to come home.

He spends a lot of time out on his own. Hunting, Mother explains, though she doesn’t explain why it takes so long or why they can’t go with him. “Your father is a complicated man,” she tells him once, softly, as she holds him in her arms. Atreus likes being close. Mother is always warm, and she always makes him feel safe. “And a very private one, too. Maybe one day, he’ll tell you himself. Everything.”

It doesn’t stop Atreus from asking questions, or from being excited to see his father as soon as he returns home.

“He might be late.” Mother speaks up from where she tends the fire, making sure it’ll last through the night. During the unforgiving winter months, it’s a necessity. “The weather has been harsh. He might need to take shelter somewhere else for the night.”

But it doesn’t discourage Atreus; not one bit. He stands on his tip-toes to peek out the crack in the door, squinting against the cold air and trying to make sense of the shapes he can make out, all shrouded in evening shadows. The familiar outlines of the trees that surround their home. The fence. It’s all he’s ever known, and his imagination runs wild when he wonders about the places Father visits while he’s out. The adventures he has. Atreus dreams of going with him, one day, when he’s older and stronger. When he doesn’t get sick so often.

Finally, a hint of movement at the edge of the tree line. Tall. Broad. Familiar.

“Father!”

Impulsively, Atreus doesn’t wait for his father to reach the door on his own. Instead, he pulls it open and rushes out into the frigid air, squeaking in surprise as the crunch of snow under his bare feet, but not letting it slow him down. A few steps, and he can make out his father’s face in the dark. The shape of the rough-sewn bag he carries, probably containing some fresh kill. Meat for the coming days as the season turns.

Atreus doesn’t pay it any mind.

He throws himself at his father as soon as he can, and he’s scooped into a pair of strong arms, away from the icy bite of the snow. He’s bundled against his father’s warm chest, immediately soothed. “Father, you’re home!”

Father doesn’t seem terribly impressed, simply holding Atreus in his arms as he starts to fuss. He’s quieter about it than Mother is, but he obviously still worries. “You should not be outside, boy. You will fall ill again.”

Atreus beams and snuggles closer. Despite the gruffness in his voice, every single word means that his father cares. That’s what Mother tells him. “I won’t! I’m careful, I promise.”

Father grunts, and Atreus closes his eyes for the last few steps back into the house. Mother is there right away, similarly disapproving. “You’ll catch a cold, sweetheart. Are you alright?”

Above his head, his parents speak softly. Father mentions the deer he’s brought home, and Mother asks if he’s hurt. Atreus just stays right where he is, warm and fuzzy with the feeling of Father’s hand resting on his back, fingers splayed wise to steady him. He’s got his nose tucked against his father’s shoulder, and Father’s beard tickles his cheek. This, he thinks, is his favourite place in the whole world. 

“It’s time for sleep.” It’s Mother who says it, and though Atreus makes a small sound of protest, he doesn’t fight it when she plucks him out of his father’s arms and carries him to his bed. “Say goodnight, Atreus.”

“Goodnight, Father,” he tries to say, but he’s interrupted by a yawn and finds himself snuggling into the blankets as soon as he’s set down. He must have been waiting longer than he thought. Sure enough, it’s dark outside now, and he closes his eyes against the warm light of the hearth. “Goodnight, Mother.”

The sounds of their voices lull him to sleep. Atreus rests peacefully, excited to wake up and ask Father all about his adventures. Though he doesn’t often get answers, he always likes the opportunity to try, and just to spend time with the man. Even if it sometimes leaves him more confused than he was to begin with.

His whole family is home, now, and that’s the thing that matters most of all. The rest of it, he can manage just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
